Li-Ion Battery Safety & Protection Patent Landscape 2026
The Li-Ion Battery Safety & Protection space is in a Growth stage, with a 42% uplift in recent filings led by Air Products & Chemicals, which holds the largest block among the top ranked filers. Activity is fragmented across industrials, specialty chemicals, and emerging Chinese cell makers, with the United States the dominant filing office.
Air Products leads a moderately fragmented field
Air Products & Chemicals holds the top position in this landscape, followed by Chemours FC LLC in second place and a cluster of Chinese cell and energy companies — Zhejiang Liwinon Energy Technology, SinoNewEnergy Suzhou Tech, and Boston Power — sharing the third tier.
The top five filers account for 25% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, indicating a moderately fragmented competitive structure with no single dominant bloc. The gap between the leader and second-ranked Chemours is meaningful but not prohibitive, suggesting the top two are clearly differentiated from the broader mid-tier.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AIR PROD & CHEM INC | 11 | |
| 2 | The Chemours Company FC LLC | 7 | |
| 3 | Zhejiang Liwinon Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 4 | SinoNewEnergy Suzhou Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 5 | Boston Power, Inc. | 4 | |
| 6 | Accentus PLC | 3 | |
| 7 | Lenovo Switzerland International GmbH | 3 | |
| 8 | Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co., Ltd. | 3 | |
| 9 | Robert Bosch GmbH | 2 | |
| 10 | National Engineering Research Center of Advanced Energy Storage Materials | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Skyrora Ltd. | 2 | |
| 12 | Battero Tech Corp., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 13 | RJ Technologies LLC | 2 | |
| 14 | Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH | 2 | |
| 15 | Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH | 2 | |
| 16 | Wayne State University | 2 | |
| 17 | Jiangsu University | 2 | |
| 18 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 2 | |
| 19 | HRL Laboratories LLC | 2 | |
| 20 | Sunwoda Mobility Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 |
Air Products’ position — historically a specialty-gas and chemicals company — signals that electrolyte chemistry and materials science are central to safety innovation, rather than device electronics alone. Chemours’ presence reinforces this materials-led orientation.
Filing counts for the most recent 18–24 months are likely understated due to patent publication lag; totals will firm up as pending applications publish. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Annual activity is rising and dominated by cell and electrochemical classes
The two charts below cover the annual filing cadence across the available window and the IPC class distribution of the corpus, together revealing both the pace of investment and the technical focus of the field.
Annual filing trend
Filing activity was uneven in the 2017–2023 window, with a pronounced pickup visible from 2024 onward. The apparent surge in 2024–2025 is consistent with the 42% recent-growth figure, though the 2025–2026 bars should be treated as preliminary given publication lag — the true extent of recent acceleration will only be confirmed as pending applications publish.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (Batteries, cells & fuel cells) is the overwhelmingly dominant class, reflecting that safety work is primarily embedded in cell chemistry, electrode design, and electrolyte formulation rather than in external protective electronics. Secondary classes — H02J (power supply systems), G01R (electrical measurement), and H02H (protective circuits) — are each materially smaller, pointing to relative sparsity in sensing, monitoring, and circuit-level protection branches.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Secondary lithium ion cell or battery and protecti…
The present invention provides a new method for improving capacity, average operating voltage and specific energy of a secondary lithium ion cell or battery. This method is achieved by means of properly adjusting the ratio between a positive material and negative material, which is calculated by theoretical specific energy, and properly increasing charge… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
Open this patent in Eureka →| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safety switch for lithium ion battery | 140 |
| 2 | Electrolyte for a rechargeable cell | 124 |
| 3 | Battery with reference electrode for voltage monit… | 48 |
| 4 | Li-ion Battery Having Improved Safety Against Comb… | 44 |
| 5 | Secondary lithium ion cell or battery and protecti… | 43 |
| 6 | Battery with reference electrode for voltage monit… | 41 |
| 7 | Electrochemical cell package | 36 |
| 8 | 锂离子动力电池热失控安全防控方法及装置 | 31 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
Four structural reads — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — frame where defensible positions exist and where the field remains open.
Growth stage with rising annual volume
The field is classified as Growth, with annual filings still rising and a 42% uplift in recent activity. The multi-year trend has not eased from a prior peak, making this an actively expanding space rather than a mature or consolidating one. Late-filing years will add to these totals as applications clear the publication queue.
Growth stageModerate fragmentation with a clear top tier
The top five filers hold 25% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, which is moderate rather than highly concentrated. Air Products leads with 11 patent records, well ahead of Chemours at 7, while the next cluster sits at 4 records each. A new entrant can realistically build a position in this field without confronting an entrenched oligopoly.
Moderate concentrationNo co-applicant clusters identified in current evidence
The collaboration data for this corpus returned no co-filing pairs, meaning either applicants are filing independently or co-filed families are below the detection threshold of the current dataset. Absence of visible co-filing activity suggests an individualistic filing culture in this space; evidence pending on any emerging research consortia.
Evidence pendingUS-centric filings with selective European and PCT coverage
The United States is the primary filing office, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT), with India and China also represented. The US dominance aligns with the presence of Air Products, Chemours, Boston Power, and several US academic filers. The PCT route provides international reach for applicants seeking broader coverage beyond domestic markets.
US-led geographyGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Air Products leads in cell chemistry; Chemours emphasizes electrolyte and packaging safety
The top two filers are both US specialty-chemical companies, reflecting the materials-science core of battery safety innovation. Momentum data highlight that Chinese cell makers are entering the ranking as new entrants.
Air Products & Chemicals
Air Products & Chemicals holds 11 patent records — the largest position in the ranked corpus — concentrated in H01M 10 (secondary batteries) and H01M 4 (electrodes), indicating a focus on cell-level chemistry and safety-by-design in active materials rather than external protective systems. No recent-window momentum data is available in the evidence for this applicant, so trajectory is evidence pending.
11 patent recordsThe Chemours Company FC LLC
Chemours FC LLC holds 7 patent records, with emphasis spanning H01M 50 (battery housings and seals), H01M 10, and H01M 2, suggesting a focus on packaging integrity and electrolyte safety. Its fluorochemicals heritage aligns with electrolyte-additive and separator coating applications. No momentum trend data is available for Chemours in the evidence, so trajectory direction is evidence pending.
7 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Zhejiang Liwinon Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in sensing, circuit protection, and EV integration
Several IPC classes adjacent to the dominant H01M core carry only a small fraction of the corpus, suggesting these areas have received less systematic patent coverage relative to their technical relevance to battery safety.
G01R · Electric & magnetic measurement
With 10 patent records (6% of class-level activity), in-situ electrical measurement for cell diagnostics and early fault detection is the largest of the under-served adjacent branches. Voltage-monitoring reference electrodes appear among the most-cited prior art, confirming technical relevance. An entrant with sensing or measurement expertise could build a differentiated position here without directly confronting the dominant chemistry players.
Search this in Eureka →H02H · Protective circuit arrangements
Only 4 patent records sit in H02H, representing roughly 2% of class-level activity despite protective circuits being a standard commercial safety layer in every Li-ion pack. The sparsity likely reflects that circuit-level protection is often handled via trade secrets or consumer-electronics standards rather than patents; however, the gap creates a filing opportunity for applicants working on advanced battery management system hardware, particularly for high-voltage EV and aerospace applications where circuit-level redundancy is safety-critical.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 50 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 2 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H02J 7 · Power supply & grid systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. | Strong · 11 | Strong · 11 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | Strong · 4 | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 5 | Strong · 4 | Absent |
| Boston Power, Inc. | Strong · 4 | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Absent |
| Zhejiang Liwinon Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 4 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Accentus PLC (AEA Technology) | Strong · 4 | Absent | Moderate · 1 | Moderate · 1 | Moderate · 1 |
| SinoNewEnergy Suzhou Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 4 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent |
| Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co., Ltd. | Strong · 3 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The current corpus covers 56 patent families in scope. This total is expected to grow modestly as recently filed applications clear the 18–24 month publication lag.
Air Products & Chemicals holds the top position with 11 patent records, ahead of The Chemours Company FC LLC with 7. Both are US specialty-chemical companies, reflecting the materials-science orientation of battery safety innovation.
The field is classified as Growth. Annual filings have not eased from a prior peak — the 42% recent-period uplift confirms the field is still in an expansionary phase, and late-period bars will rise further as pending applications publish.
The United States is the primary office, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT), with India and China also represented. US dominance reflects the concentration of top filers — Air Products, Chemours, Boston Power — in North America.
No co-applicant pairs were identified in the current evidence. Applicants appear to be filing independently, suggesting an individualistic IP strategy rather than consortium-based development.
G01R (electric and magnetic measurement) and H02H (protective circuit arrangements) each carry a small share of class-level activity despite being directly relevant to battery fault detection and circuit-level protection. B60L (electric vehicle propulsion) and C09K (specialty materials) are also sparse, each at roughly 2% of class-level activity.
Ready to map your own Li-Ion Battery Safety landscape?
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. PatSnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.